Despite inclement weather, scores of citizens turned out to Marketplace UncappeD 2019 on Sunday where small businesses dominated the exhibitions with their showcase of local items transformed into innovative products.

While UncappeD 2018 featured 65 businesses, this year over 80 local agro-processors participated with 20 new businesses.

The event was organised by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), and was hosted at the external tarmac of the Guyana National Stadium.

One of the youngest business owners the Guyana Chronicle came into contact with was 21-year-old Kelshine Griffith, a former Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) student who turned her unique idea into the business, ‘Kelshine Sweet Potato Cake Mix’.

This is the first sweet potato cake mix to be produced in Guyana, and the budding entrepreneur is receiving the support of her former school to make the product.

“The experience so far in business is good, but it’s also challenging when you’re young, and you don’t have that financial backing to get a lump sum of money easy. But GSA is allowing me to use their facilities to get stuff done until I can support myself,” Kelshine said.

Her products can be found at Bounty Supermarkets in Georgetown, even as she has plans to expand to shelves in Berbice and Linden.

She would like to encourage Guyanese who believe that it’s impossible to start up a business to think again, set a goal and work towards it.

“It’s not hard; you just have to know what you want and keep working towards it. Even when people down your spirit, you just keep pushing. When you getting into business, try to do something different; something we don’t have, and you get people’s attention quite easy,” Kelshine said, adding that she also plans to expand her line of cake mix beyond the sweet potato.

Also sending the message that getting into business is possible for anyone was Nardine Parris-Simon of Nardine’s Natural Body Care, a business which sells primarily skin products from all-natural sources.

Parris-Simon said she got into business after realizing that she had terrible acne and wanted a natural way to clear her skin.

Luckily, the Seventh-Day-Adventist Church was facilitating training in the areas of soap making, nutrition for health, nutrition for menopause and natural remedies, all of which she now has certification for.

Through her research, she has been able to alleviate her friend’s challenge with Psoriasis, a disease that causes raised, red, scaly patches to appear on the skin, by combining herbs which target the skin condition, and making them into creams and soaps.

“I’m blown away by the things that you find every day that are so tremendous and beneficial for the skin,” Nardine said.

“I think you have to have a determination, and you have to understand that there are needs to be filled,” she added.

Also speaking to the Guyana Chronicle was Humberto Hamilton of the South American Coco Company, which sells oils for the skin and consumption, soaps, powders, flours and more.

He said that he is thankful for the opportunity presented by UncappeD to showcase his products, but looks forward to seeing greater financing opportunities being made available to small businesses.

“It’s improving. More and more people are getting to know about our product, and this is an opportunity to promote your business,” Hamilton said, adding:

“Small businesses need a lot of help. They need some concessions with the purchasing of equipment and materials; probably some people need some grants and loans set at low prices and easy access to this.”

Anticipating that some businesses would be faced with challenges led the GMSA to also invite companies such as the Small Business Bureau (SBB) and Institute of Private Enterprise Development (IPED) to be on site.

They provided information to the exhibitors and members of the public on how businesses can get better access to loans or grants.

Meanwhile, making beautiful items such as jewellery, refrigerator magnets, keyrings and ornaments out of glued-together shells was Frankie Limerick of Frankie’s Shell Craft.

While he noted that he was experiencing a challenge with getting his products to stay on the shelves of some local stores, he was thankful for the opportunity presented by UncappeD to promote his handcrafted work.

“I put out my best, and you can see the type of work that I do. Day and night! Sometimes I get headache for two or three days, because of the amount of pressure. Because these are many shells I put together,” Frankie said.

“It’s a good opportunity; you get to be able to reach a lot of different people with different backgrounds. They give you a bright smile; they even purchase your stuff. It really uplifts your business,” he added.

Over at ‘Leisa’s Salon N’ Beauty Supplies’, Leisa Gibson told the newspaper that she has moved beyond just the salon chair to producing various soaps, conditioners and hair growth oils, thanks to the government.

“There was an opportunity that I got, thanks to the Government of Guyana through one of the Ministry’s to do a soap course. So I did that and branched off into soap making,” she said.

At another booth, Shermaine Headley, representing the local company ‘TidyUp Detergents’, was busy refilling bottles with locally-manufactured detergents for the steady customers.

The company had on display laundry detergents, dish washing liquids, fabric softeners, car wash liquid, multipurpose cleaners, disinfectants and more.

“It makes sense to use ‘TidyUp’,” Shermaine said, “because you’re actually refilling your bottles or your containers. So you’re saving, and you’re saving the environment by recycling.”

“Because of the weather, I thought there would have been less persons, but it’s nice to see so many persons coming out today,” she added.

Later in the day, GMSA Vice-President, Ramsay Ali said that while the weather indeed had impacted the size of the crowd, UncappeD remains a free event which creates a space for local businesses to gain exposure to new markets and customers.

“Looking back at the booths that have been here from the start, some three years ago, there are significant improvements in the quality of the products [such as] packaging, new products that are coming on board. And at least we know that UncappeD is creating some kind of a space for these people to come and sell their products to the Guyanese public,” he said.

The GMSA hopes to take the event to Berbice within the first quarter of 2020. Ali stressed that small businesses will require the encouragement and support of all stakeholders to remain relevant in the local market.

“Small businesses need support, and they need support from the government. They need support from the people of Guyana; they need support from the private sector. Small businesses cannot borrow money from the current rates that are available at the banks; it doesn’t work for them. So, government needs to find a way to support small businesses with more agreeable terms for borrowing money,” he advised.